


The Bloody Puppetmaster

by thegaolersdaughter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:40:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24760942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegaolersdaughter/pseuds/thegaolersdaughter
Summary: Five years later, the world is not as peaceful as the the Avatar had hoped it would become when he defeated Firelord Ozai. To fix that, Katara and Aang must travel the world once again. During one of their journeys, they meet an interesting and mysterious old lady. This is a four-part-story based on the episode "The Puppetmaster". My story, however, contains more explicit content.





	1. Five Years Later

It had been five years since Aang, the last Airbender, defeated Firelord Ozai, but Katara would be lying if she said that life was better now than it was before. Ozai died two years after the great battle at Wulong Forest, which marked the end of the Hundred Year War; murdered in his own cell by an Earthbender, who had formed long, sharp blades from the bars of his cell and pierced his body from head to toe. Eight metal blades were deep inside the former firelord’s body, Aang had told Katara later that night at supper. Even now, lying in bed, hours before sunrise, Katara missed her friend, the little girl who journeyed the world with her and the Avatar five years ago. The only Metalbender known to mankind: Toph Beifong. Katara could not believe that they arrested the sweet, blind girl when Aang, who was equally devastated by the news, had told her. “The case against her is too strong”, he had said. Toph still denies that she had anything to do with Ozai’s murder but all the evidence spoke against her. Aang had tried to plead with Zuko (upon Katara’s request), but through all the pleadings and objections, Firelord Zuko would not bend. He had assured us that she will be treated most honorably with the best comfort the Fire Nation had to offer. At the end of the day, however, a cell was a cell. Even a wooden one. _Ironic, isn’t it?_ Katara thought, with a little half-smile on her face. _I guess the Avatar can’t bend everything._

The ideals the former firelord represented still roamed the earth like a deadly virus. Firelord Zuko might have been a friend of equality and peace but it was clear that not all Firebenders shared his worldview. People of the Fire Nation still believed themselves to be of the superior race, which the people of the other elements did not really mind. They were just looking to find reasons to fight Firebenders, for the subjects of the Earth Kingdom and the natives of the Water Tribes still had not forgotten all the loved ones they had lost over the last 100 years. Some Firebenders still had taken orders from Ozai before he died, raiding small villages and setting them on fire. Sokka and Suki had spent some time in a village near the town of Shu Jing, revisiting the place of Sokka’s first master during one of their raids. They were taken unawares in the middle of the night. As advanced as Sokka and Suki were in the martial arts, they did not stand a chance. Toph seemed to have taken the blow the hardest. Katara’s initial plan after the Great Battle was to remain in the Fire Nation before retiring to Aang’s home, the Southern Air Temple, to rebuild the temple and live a happy and quiet life. However, that plan was overthrown when Ozai was killed. Since then, citizens of all over the country have presented new complaints for the Avatar to resolve almost on a daily basis. Considering the difficulty to reach any of the air temples for non-Airbenders, Aang decided that they should stay on the ground, close to the people.

Katara loved Aang with all her heart. How could she not? He was brave and gentle. It didn’t hurt that he grew a feet or two over the past five years, either. And he was the Avatar. _The Avatar_. A curse and a blessing for Katara. She barely had him for herself anymore. Since Ozai’s death, Aang had spent much time helping people with their troubles and providing the leaders of the world with counsel, leaving her alone and lonely more oft than not. _She sighed._

This morning, however, he was with her. Lying beside her. Tall and handsome and naked. His beautiful arrow tattoos covering his muscular body.

“Aang”, she whispered, shaking him gently. “Aang.”

She kissed him lightly on his bald head, his cheeks, and then his mouth. Aang woke up, first a little startled, and then smiling.

“Good morning.” He said, stretching out his tongue to kiss Katara back.

“Mmh, looks like somebody else is up, too. Wait, I can handle that”, said Katara, feeling the Avatar’s manhood harden. She grabbed it and put it in her mouth. As she was pleasuring the Avatar with her mouth, Aang gently slid her nightgown over her head, exposing her large, voluminous breasts which have grown over the past few years. Katara was especially happy about that.

“Come here”, said the Avatar. Katara, still grabbing Aang’s member, reemerged and French kissed Aang while slowly inserting his well-endowed cock inside her wet cunt, rubbing her clitoris on the way in.

Katara and Aang made their relationship intimate only last night, when Aang came home from a long meeting with Firelord Zuko and the new King of Omashu, Vorth. Both, Katara and Aang, have lost many loved ones over the past five years and after the death of his dear friend Bumi, Katara had tried desperately to cheer him up. Even then, her friend Rakusa suggested to pleasure him in the marriage bed, but Katara, growing up with no mother, had no one to teach her about the arts of love and, though married to the Avatar, became nervous every time she tried to initiate love-making. One time, as she led the Avatar to the bedroom and began to disrobe him, she fainted at the sight of his enormous cock. After that, she became even more anxious. Last night, however, she overcame her fears of excruciating pain and finally lost her maidenhood to the man she loved.

It was as beautiful and pleasuring as it was this morning. She rode her husband, feeling his manhood inside of her, his tongue on her large, dark nipple while his right hand was kneading her left breast. She forgot all about her sorrows and her problems, and she could sense that, for the first time in three years, Aang was living in the moment and relishing Katara’s voluptuous body, as well.


	2. The Last Waterbender

“One winter, when my mother was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A week later, she realized that she hadn’t seen her friend Nini since the storm.” Katara and Aang currently stayed in a small village in the central islands of the Fire Nation. The Avatar, however, was called on by a woman from the village who claimed that her daughter had disappeared. “She went to play at her friend’s house but she never came home after”, the woman had said, crying. “I asked Masu’s mother if she knew where she was, but she told me she hadn’t seen her since she left the house.” That was the fourth disappearance that was reported to Aang that night and he still had not figured out what was happening. He did not fail to notice that the people who disappeared were all Firebenders, which led him to assume that the perpetrator is either an Earth- or Waterbender who held a grudge against the Fire Nation. He also noticed that the disappearances always happened on the nights of the full moon. Three months ago, Aang received word that people kept vanishing once a month. That was when he decided that they move to the village. Three months later, however, Aang had not gotten any closer to solving the mystery. He said it was difficult catching someone who only operates once a month. “But you know when the disappearances happen. That should make things easier for you.” Katara had said. But Aang assured her that he had already stationed watchers all around the village, skilled benders who would inform the Avatar right away if they saw something eerie. So far, however, nothing. 

Discussing the missing people with her friend Rakusa, Katara remembered a tale her mother had told her when she was little. “So mom and some others went to check on Nini’s family. When they got there, no one was home. Just a –“

“Wait, before you continue. Do you mind making some tea?”, Rakusa asked.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, I should’ve offered you some when you got in”, replied Katara. The reason Katara did not offer her anything is because Rakusa had only come over to ask for some milk. But that was often the case with her, she would come over to ask for a minor favor and would end up staying most of the night. Katara did not mind, though. Rakusa was one of the last few Firebenders in the village. She lived alone, which Katara thought odd, but Rakusa wasn’t the type to settle down. She relished the attention she received from men too much. She wasn’t as pretty as Katara, but still very easy on the eyes. Katara liked Rakusa and liked having a friend in the village. Rakusa was quite easy to talk to, too. She got up from the table, picked up some herbs from the nearby basket and put them inside two mugs. She sat back down and bent the water from the bucket, which stood by the entrance door, and spilled it inside the mugs. Rakusa heated up the mugs with her firebending. They both took a sip.

“So, where was I? Yeah, right, Nini’s house. Just a fire was flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice. ‘It’s so cold, and I can’t get warm.’ My mother turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when everyone came back Nini was gone.”

“Where did she go?”

“No one knows. Nini’s house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney. Like little Nini is still trying to get warm.”

“That’s a scary story”, said Rakusa.

“Right?”

“Is it true?”

“I don’t know, actually. I think mom was only trying to scare us so we wouldn’t go off wandering by ourselves.”

When Katara woke up the next morning, Aang was lying next to her, still sleeping. He obviously came home late again last night. Katara was happy that he came home at all, though. She kissed the Avatar on his temple, got up from bed, and got ready to go to the market. When she finished shopping and made for home, she saw an old woman struggling with what looked like a heavy paper bag full of groceries. Katara approached the old woman to offer her some help with the paper bag. When she was a few feet away, the woman turned around and smiled at her. “Will you help me, please, dear?” She had a very honest face, with long, white hair tied in a bun behind her head. She sort of reminded Katara of her Gran-Gran.

“Yeah, sure. I was just about to ask you if you needed help.”

“That’s sweet of you. I own a small inn up there in the woods.” She pointed north towards a thick forest. Katara was perplexed. It had been three months since she and Aang arrived in the village. But she never would have imagined people actually living in the forest. “My name is Hama.”

Katara and the old woman walked for what felt like hours until they reached her inn. The woman did not exaggerate when she said she owned a “small inn”. It was hardly bigger than her own house in the village which only consisted of a sitting room, a kitchen, and a small bedroom. The inn had two stories. The lower floor consisted of a small desk by the door and two tables opposite of it. Upstairs must be where the rooms are, Katara concluded. “Just leave the stuff on the table, I’ll sort them out later.” Katara went over to one of the tables as she noticed a small, green box, lined with bronze edges and a golden lock, sitting on the desk.

“What’s in that box?” The question shot out of her before she had time to consider if she may have crossed any lines by asking.

Hama, however, did not seem to mind. She looked at the box and then back at Katara, smiling. “This, my dear, is my greatest treasure.” She walked over to the box, reached inside her robes and pulled out an old key. She unlocked the box, and grabbed inside it. Her hand reemerged, and with it an old comb, as blue as the water she remembered from her old home. “It’s the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe.”

Shocked at what she had just heard, Katara seemed to have forgotten how to form words with her lips and tongue. “You’re from the Southern Water Tribe?” Katara finally said, when she regained the power to speak.

“Just like you.”

“How did you know?”, Katara asked, even more confused now.

“I have a confession to make”, Hama began, “I have hoped to meet you for some time now. Since I’ve heard the great Avatar moved to the village, actually. But unlike the others, I was more interested in his company. The great Katara, the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe who helped the Avatar defeat Firelord Ozai. And when I saw you today wearing that betrothal amulet around your neck, I immediately knew who you were.” Katara made for her neck with her hand and then stopped halfway. It had become such a big part of her now that she sometimes forgot she had it on. Aang, being an Air Nomad, didn’t make her a new one when he asked her to marry him, but Katara didn’t mind. That way she could wear something to remind her of her mother. Hama stepped forward, slightly startling Katara, and held Katara’s right hand inside her own hands. “I hope you’ll stay for supper. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a nice, Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can’t get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes, if you stew them long enough.” Katara agreed to stay for dinner, completely forgetting about her own food she had bought at the market.

As Hama went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, Katara sat down at the table and looked around the room. It was a very old inn and it seemed as though it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned for a very long time. The wooden shelves by the walls were covered by a thick layer of dust, the porcelain was also dusty, the markings almost completely worn off, and the little candle-holder on the table held no candle, but spider-webs spread around the top. After some time, Hama brought a big, rusty metal pot full of soup and placed it on the table. She went back into the kitchen and returned with two, equally rusty, metal bowls, two spoons, and a plate filled with kumquats. The spoons looked clean enough. When she sat down, she bent the soup from the big pot into the two bowls.

“You’re a Waterbender”, said Katara, suddenly excited. All the unease and confusion flushed away. “I’ve never met another Waterbender from our own tribe!”

“That’s because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one.”

“So how did you end up out here?” Katara asked.

“I was stolen from my home”, Hama began. “It was over 60 years ago when the raids started.” As if by some instinct, Katara remembered another day when the Fire Nation came to the Southern Water Tribe seeking to kill the last Waterbender of the tribe. They left as quickly as they had come. But not before killing her mother, who had told them that _she_ was the last Waterbender of the tribe. “They came again and again. Each time rounding up more of our Waterbenders and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I, too, was captured. I was led away in chains. The last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.” Katara stood up, walked around the table over to Hama, and held her by her shoulders, feeling the sadness evincing from Hama’s words and suddenly growing an immense amount of respect towards her. “They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape.”

Katara saw a few tears sliding down Hama’s face and realized that, despite her growing curiosity, it would prove tactless to press the matter any further.

“I’m sorry. It’s too painful to talk about”, Hama said as she wiped the tears with her sleeve.

“I completely understand. I lost my mother and brother in raids”, said Katara, thinking back to the last time she had seen her brother. She had almost entirely forgotten what her mother looked like, but her brother’s face was still clearly cemented in her head.

“Oh, you poor thing.”

“I can’t tell you what it means to meet you. It’s an honor. You’re a hero.” Katara suddenly felt more proud than ever to be from the Southern Water Tribe.

“I never thought I’d meet another southern Waterbender. I’d like to teach you what I know so you can carry on the southern tradition when I’m gone.”

At these words, Katara exulted like she hadn’t in a very long time. Being married to the Avatar meant never staying in one place for more than four months, most times even less. In the past five years, they had only been in the south twice, and both times they didn’t stay very long. Plus, Katara felt she had finally found a mother figure. “Yes! Yes, of course. To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me.”


	3. "Where There Is Life, There Is Water"

“Oh, yeah, I know her. I’ve met her before. Very nice lady. I asked her about the disappearances when we moved in here, but she didn’t seem to know anything about it. Of course, I thought it was suspicious that she lived alone in the woods, but the people vouched for her. Did you know the village is named after her? They told me she used to perform puppet shows for the kids years ago.” This was the first time that Aang had to wait for Katara to come home instead of the other way around. He was sitting by the front door Indian style, sipping tea, when Katara finally returned and joined him. “Yeah, it’s called Hama’s Village. I know I should’ve told you, I’m sorry. I forgot.” Aang said, upon seeing Katara’s slight grimace on her face.

“And you never cared to mention that you met her?”

“Umm… I didn’t think it was important.” Aang said nervously, scratching his bald head.

“You didn’t think it was important to tell me you’ve met ANOTHER WATERBENDER FROM THE SOUTHERN WATER TRIBE??” Katara’s voice rose at her last words and her face grew dangerously red.

“What?! I didn’t know she was a Waterbender.” Aang looked genuinely confused, but that didn’t matter to Katara. She made an exasperated sound as she walked back inside, and left Aang to his tea. She wasn’t really angry at him for not telling her that Hama was a Waterbender. She didn’t even know exactly why she yelled at him. Maybe she was jealous that Aang met Hama before her? Maybe him not telling her the name of the village reminded her of how little time they had spent together since they had arrived here? Whatever it was, it was over as soon as it started when Aang sat at the table for dinner. Since Katara had already eaten, she only sat there telling him all about what Hama had told her. That night, they made passionate love.

Over the next four weeks, Katara visited the old Waterbender every day. Hama taught her about southern traditions long forgotten, showed her recipes for Southern Water Tribe meals with alternative ingredients, and told her about her life as a young girl in the south. Hama even disclosed stories of Gran-Gran, which exposed a side of her of which Katara had had no idea. For example, she told her that Gran-Gran fell in love with a Firebender when she was 16 years old. Everytime that Firebender came to the Southern Tribe for a raid, he sneaked off with Gran-Gran and they both shared passionate times together. Upon finding out that she became pregnant, the Firebender reacted not at all as Gran-Gran had expected. She had thought he would be happy and joyful to hear the news, but he was outraged and devastated and told her that they could never see each other again. Katara felt sad, angry, and anxious at the news. Sad because Gran-Gran was left all by herself, angry at the Firebender, and anxious because that would mean that she was part Firebender. Hama must have read her mind because she assured her that she wasn’t part Firebender. “Your Gran-Gran had a miscarriage, dear. But at the time, it seemed as though she was more devastated about the miscarriage than that scumbag leaving her.” Above all, Katara was most excited about the new waterbending techniques Hama taught her. Every night, after Hama would make Katara dinner or tell her stories, they would walk together to the bridge, which connected the forest to the village and arched above a middle-sized river, to practice waterbending. Katara learned how to bent water into razor-sharp blades, create huge waves to drown a whole kingdom, and even learnt the lightning-redirecting-technique she had seen Zuko use five years ago. She hadn’t felt so much at home in a very long time. She saw the irony in that.

“Just be careful, alright?” Aang was lying next to Katara when she told him what she had learned one night. They spent their day on a large field covered in Fire Lillies, which, according to Hama, only bloomed a few weeks a year. “Growing up at the South Pole,” Hama had said, “Waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But as you probably noticed on your travels that isn’t the case wherever you go.” Katara had indeed noticed that it was hard to come by water, at times. She remembered a time when she even had to use her own sweat for waterbending. Hama explained that Waterbenders need to learn how to use water wherever it existed. “Did you know you could pull water out of thin air?” As she had asked the question, she brandished her arm like she was holding a wand, and Katara was amazed to see that she had indeed produced water out of thin air.

“What do you mean ‘be careful’? What do I have to be careful for? She is a nice lady who teaches me about my heritage. What’s so wrong about that?”

“I’m just saying, we of all people know what it’s like to be disappointed by people. I just don’t want you to get too attached.” There was truth in Aang’s words, but Katara would not allow herself to be admonished like she was some little girl. After all, it was her who had found Aang in the ice, had taught him waterbending, had showed him the world he had newly returned into, and her who was the older one. _Well, technically he’s older, but I’m certainly the more mature one._ She did not even tell him the really sketchy part of that day. After Hama produced the water, she turned it into several, small, sharp icicles and threw them at a nearby tree. “You’ve got to keep an open mind, Katara”, she had said, with, what Katara thought, an ominous tone, as if she meant to kill that tree. “There’s water in places you never think about.”

“I can watch out for myself, thank you.” Katara said, in an irritated tone. With that, Katara turned to her side, showing the Avatar her back, and that was the end of the conversation. She decided that she wouldn’t tell him what happened after. They had walked quietly through the field admiring the Fire Lillies. “Wow. These flowers are beautiful.” Katara had said, mesmerized. To that, Hama had confessed to her that they were one of her favorite things about living in the village. “And like all plants and all living things, they’re filled with water.” As she had said that, she waved her arms around, and water appeared around her hands. She directed her hands towards a rock, and the water sliced through it, cutting the rock into several pieces. “That was incredible.” Katara then noticed the dead flowers on the ground, and realized that Hama had extracted the water from them. “It’s a shame about the lilies, though.” Hama had answered that remark with a mere hand movement, indicating that it wasn’t that serious. “As a Waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you the ultimate technique of waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon when your bending is at its peak.” She was both excited and worried about the following day. Albeit, she was amazed by Hama’s waterbending skills, she couldn’t help but think about the peril of going out during a full moon, for people had been disappearing during that time. Finally, she decided that Hama and her were advanced enough Waterbenders to fight off whatever danger might be out there. And who knows, maybe they would even catch the perpetrator. Katara’s thoughts were interrupted by Aang’s loud snores and she decided that it was time for her to try to sleep, as well. 


	4. The Bloody Mummer

The full moon was shining bright the following night. Its silvery-white light caressing Katara’s skin like a gentle lover. Her and Hama were walking through the forest towards a clearing in the middle of the thick forest. It was quiet, so she could hear everything very clearly. Leaves shaking in the whistling wind, owls hooting in the distance, wolves howling at the moonlight. She had told no one where she was going tonight. As a matter of fact, she did not even mention that she went anywhere, at all. Aang would be patrolling the village all night so he would not notice that Katara was gone and the rest of the villagers remained locked inside their homes. Katara had slipped out of the house, sneaking past the volunteering patrols until she reached the bridge where she had met Hama. From there, they had walked together to the clearing. Goosebumps protruded from her olive skin due to, both, excitement and fear. The moon shone brightly on the clearing and Katara felt that, for the first time, she got a really good look at Hama. The gentle old woman with the honest face suddenly disappeared. She noticed the greasiness of her unwashed and unkempt hair, missing teeth in her mouth, and thick veins on her arms attempting to escape her body. As Katara followed the veins protruding from Hama’s arm, she also noticed her long, sharp fingernails, resembling tiny blades. On the ground were little sprinkles of black spots, which, Katara concluded, must be water spots. Hama must have come here earlier before they met. 

“Can you feel the power the full moon brings?” Hama was asking when she stood in the center of the clearing. The question clearly did not require an answer. Katara felt her own powers rising so clearly, that she half expected smoke to emit from her body. “For generations, it has blessed Waterbenders with its glow. Allowing us to do incredible things. I’ve never felt more alive.” The wind blew Katara’s and Hama’s hair sideways. “What I’m about to show you I discovered in that wretched, Fire Nation prison.” Although the moon still glowed brightly on the clearing, Katara suddenly felt a darkness closing in on her as Hama spat these words out. She felt as though she were never going to feel joyful again. “The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air, and had us suspended away from the ground before giving us any water. They would bind our hands and feet so we couldn’t bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet, each month, I felt the moon enriching me with its energy. There had to be something I could do to escape.” Hama seemed to be deep in her thoughts and memories. Katara had half a mind to just turn around and leave, but her brain seemed to be disconnected from her feet. “Then I realized that where there is life, there is water. The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage were nothing more than skins filled with liquid. And I spent years developing the skills that would lead to my escape. Bloodbending.” At that, Katara did manage to take a step backwards. She could not leave, however, because now she suspected she was going to find out something. “Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the guards. But why tell you, when I can show you.” Hama made for a nearby tree, stretched out her arm, and grabbed something behind the tree. Her suspicions growing, Katara watched attentively. Her arm reemerged holding a person. A woman. A pretty woman, about Katara’s age, gagged, her hands tied behind her back. _Rakusa._

“What are you doing with Rakusa? Don’t you dare hurt her.“ Katara was ready to fight, but before she could take her fighting stance, Hama smirked at her and waved her arms around, eventually pointing them at Rakusa. Suddenly, an immense amount of blood came streaming out of Rakusa’s mouth, then her ears, her nose, and, finally, her eyes popped out of her head. “NOOOOO, RAKUSAA!! STOP THAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HER??” After a few seconds, Rakusa fell forwards, her face flat on her own blood, her body drained, and her bones clearly visible through her skin.

“Wasn’t that beautiful, Katara? Once you perfect this technique, you’ll be the most powerful Bender alive.”

“I will never use that kind of power.” Katara said firmly.

“The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it’s your duty to use the gifts you’ve been given to win this war.”

“War? What war? The war ended five years ago.”

“THE WAR NEVER ENDED.” Hama shouted at Katara, saliva gathering in the corners of her mouth. “Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture, your mother. You should understand what I’m talking about. We’re the last Waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can. Wherever they are, with any means necessary.”

“It’s you”, said Katara, now certain, “you’re the one who’s making people disappear during the full moons.”

“They threw me in prison to rot along with my brothers and sisters. They deserve the same. And worse. You must carry on my work.”

“I won’t. I won’t use bloodbending and I won’t allow you to keep terrorizing the villagers.” Katara suddenly felt her body temperature rising, her legs folding, forcing her to her knees, and the blood in her body turning directions towards her head.

“You should have learned the technique before you turned against me.” It took Katara all of her strength to stand back up, producing water from the trees around her, and shooting it straight at Hama’s face. It caused Hama to fall backwards, and presented Katara with a moment’s respite in which she fell back on her knees and coughed out blood. At that moment, she felt the warm touch of the moon on her body, and the strength of her legs returned. Hama was back on her feet, as well.

“You’re not the only who draws power from the Moon. Your technique is useless on me.” Again, Katara produced water, and shot it at Hama. This time, however, Hama used her waterbending to throw the water back. Katara caught it in mid-air, formed a large blade with it, turned it into ice, and threw it right at Hama’s chest. Hama dodged the blade, and it landed in the far distance, swallowed by the dark. Hama formed hundreds of small, sharp icicles and threw them all at Katara. It was impossible for Katara to dodge them all. She stopped some in mid-air, and dodged others, but still took cuts to her face and body. Hama turned to her side, and brandished her arms, indicating that she was about to produce more water out of thin air. This time, however, she bent the puddle of blood that covered the ground next to her. _Rakusa’s blood._ She mixed it with water and created a huge wave, directing it at Katara. Katara was ready to stop the wave, but underestimated the thickness of the blood, and almost drowned. She was now covered in blood, coughing.

“KATARA”, came a shout from the distance. Katara knew that voice. _Aang._ She saw him emerge from the darkness of the forest.

“DON’T COME ANY CLOSER”, shouted Katara, too late. Aang seemed frozen on the spot. And, as Katara expected, blood started pouring out from all over his head. _You took Rakusa, you’re not taking Aang, too._ Katara quickly threw a ball of water at Hama in order to make her lose her focus on Aang. That gave her some time to think. _I have to do it._ She ran over to Aang, bent his blood from the ground and poured it back inside him. _Now._ She moved closer to Hama, who had just gotten back up, and pointed her arms at her body. Hama’s legs gave up under her, her head starting to turn red. It almost seemed as though it was glowing. Katara was now standing right in front her, towering over the old woman. She had never felt like this before. The power. The fear. The fear of possessing that kind of power. Katara was shocked to realize that Hama was grinning at her. A wide, sinister grin.

“My work is done. Congratulations, Katara. You’re a Bloodbender.” She turned her head back, and started laughing. The most evil laugh Katara had ever heard. Katara raised her arms up high, and Hama’s head burst open, blood shooting in every direction, covering Katara’s whole body in it. Katara was suddenly on her knees, mixed feelings and thoughts streaming through her mind. And then… she started crying.


End file.
